The world in 2023: Extreme weather conditions are affecting people and nature through heavy rain, droughts or extreme heat, which are occurring more and more frequently and with greater intensity.
Climate change is here! That’s hard to deny when new temperature records are set every summer. The new normal of regular summers of the century with high temperatures above 30 degrees is worsening the quality of life. Performance decreases in everyday life because health is put under strain by heat stress and weather changes with large temperature fluctuations.
Scientists at ETH Zurich have calculated that living conditions in 75% of the 500 largest cities worldwide will have changed significantly due to climatic changes by 2050. Compared to today’s values, the average temperature measured in metropolitan areas could be 4.7 degrees higher – even in winter. The current temperature in Canberra (Australia) will therefore be measured in Paris (France) in 2050. London temperatures will also rise and be comparable to those recorded in Madrid in 2019
HEAT THREATENS HEALTH
This development threatens not only people’s health, but also the future of companies. Employees are weakened by occupational heat stress and are less productive. They work slower because they have to take more breaks. At the same time, there are higher levels of absenteeism because heat stress makes you sick over time. These risks caused by changes in nature must be balanced out by appropriate measures in order to maintain the health of employees and the performance of companies!
IN 2100 HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION AFFECTED BY HEAT STRESS
An international research group consisting of physiologists and environmental doctors calculated that a third of the working population worldwide currently suffers from regular heat stress. By the year 2100, half of the world’s population is expected to be affected.
It is therefore crucial not only for companies, but above all for employees, that working conditions that are adapted to the climate are created. If this project does not succeed, it will endanger well-being, health and jobs.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), if days continue to accumulate, characterized by high humidity and temperatures above 35 degrees, 2.2 percent of the hours worked by employees will be lost worldwide by 2030.
In other words: According to calculations made by the ILO, 80 million full-time jobs will be lost by 2030. This job loss will cause damage to companies amounting to 2.1 trillion euros.
The first figures for Germany in 2019 are now available: 40,000 days of absence have already occurred due to heat stress.
People working outdoors, such as craftsmen, are particularly affected by heat stress. As Marcel Schweiker makes clear, office workers are also affected by heat. Mr. Schweiker is looking for answers as head of a laboratory at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He wants to find out what options building managers and employers have to respond to climate change.
All parameters tested so far in tests with test subjects – luminance, air quality, air flow, air speed, CO2 or air and surface temperature – clearly show that air conditioning systems are rather harmful to people’s well-being, since indoor climate is never “perfect” for all room users.
INDIVIDUAL COMFORTABLE CLIMATE IS DECISIVE
According to previous results, what is crucial for well-being is that employees have the opportunity to set their own individual feel-good climate.
A fundamental question that can be asked from an energy perspective is whether it is necessary to cool entire rooms. Air conditioning is fueling the climate crisis even further due to the high CO2 emissions associated with its use – just to cool people down.
In order to maintain the concentration, health and performance of employees, the working conditions of employees must be adapted to the new climate in as climate-neutral a way as possible. This is the challenge for employers and building managers!
One solution is functional cooling clothing from E.COOLINE. It cools people effectively, quickly, directly on the move, easily and affordably – with a cooling capacity of 600 watts. Climate neutral, of course!
